Press release

Chamber’s Route One visitor center will boost local economy

Fri, 02/22/2019 - 7:30am

The Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce our most recent effort to promote and bolster local businesses and the communities we serve. This valuable new resource is a visitor information center on Route One, just north of the Wiscasset/Edgecomb bridge. The Center will be located on the north bound side of Route One just past Water’s Edge and will be called The Midcoast Gateway Visitor Information Center.

An ongoing challenge for businesses on the Boothbay peninsula has been to get visitors to turn off of Route One and drive down Route 27. When a visitor does come to our region, it is then up to all of us to provide a welcoming and memorable experience for that individual or family. Laura Honey has always described where we live as “at the end of a 15-mile driveway.” Visitors have to have a reason to turn off of Route One and come down our driveway.

Reasons the Route One visitor center will be valuable can be summed up as follows: lots of cars, services travelers need, and location, location, location!

According to MDOT, 17,000 to 25,000 vehicles travel over the Wiscasset/Edgecomb bridge every day, or 6,205,000 to 9,215,000 vehicles every year. If there are, on average, 2.3 people in a car, that’s a mind boggling 14 to 21 million people passing by that location. It will be the only visitor/information center directly on Route One in the entire Midcoast Maine region. The center will have a cafe, with a provisioning shop of wine, cheese, and other necessities. The site will also have public restrooms.

When travelers stop for food or a bathroom break they will have access to the visitor/information center where they will discover all the beauty and adventure that awaits them in our region. We plan to staff the center seven days a week from May 1 through Dec. 31. In addition to a paid staff member, the Chamber will be looking for individuals knowledgeable and passionate about our area, in other words “guides or ambassadors” to volunteer at the center. Longer range plans include an interactive touch screen map to further encourage travelers’ interest in our region. An electronic sign is planned out front, allowing us to promote festivals and events to everyone who passes by, not just to those who stop. Our goal is to get more people to turn down Route 27 and come and explore our unique part of the coast.

Increasing the number of visitors will be good for everyone. At first, businesses such as restaurants, gas stations, major attractions, hotels and inns, breweries, tour and kayak operators, and downtown shops may benefit. We all know some visitors come back, again and again. We also know visitors tell others about their experience, hence the importance of everyone being a good ambassador for our region. Some visitors end up purchasing a home here, seasonal or primary and some decide to move here and start a business. All of those activities strengthen our economy and help retain businesses and jobs. In the long run, businesses and jobs in every sector of our community, such as, markets, plumbers, electricians, other trades, artists, auto repair, greenhouses, -- everyone - including nonprofits will benefit.

The Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce is providing this opportunity to promote your business or organization in this highly visible, valuable, location. The cost for a business or organization to participate is far less than most other formats, such as a magazine ad, etc. Chamber members are entitled to a discounted rate. Please call the Chamber for more details and to reserve your space.

Also, if you are passionate, personable and knowledgeable about our area, please consider volunteering to help provide a remarkable experience to travelers who stop at the Route One visitors center. What better way to meet some of the millions of people going by and encourage them to come down our “driveway” and spend some time and money here.

If you, or someone you know, would be interested in this important mission, please call Patricia Royall, executive director, or myself, Kenneth Rayle, president of the board of directors, at 633-2353.